Hifiman HE-R9 & Sundara Closed - Uniqueness Isn't Always Goodness - Honest Audiophile Impressions
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Purchase:
HE-R9: store.hifiman.com/index.php/h...
Apos: apos.audio/products/hifiman-h...
Sundara Closed: store.hifiman.com/index.php/s...
Apos: apos.audio/products/hifiman-s...
Austrian Audio Hi-X60: www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
A BIG thanks to Hifiman for providing the HE-R9 & my supporters for helping fund the purchase of the Sundara Closed for review, much appreciated. The HE-R9 and Sundara Closed are both unique for Hifiman as the are closed, R9 is dynamic and Sundara Closed is planar. How do they sound and how do they stack up to my under $500 reference closed back- headphone, the Austrian Audio Hi-X60?
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:30 HE-R9 Specs/R2R BlueMini
01:15 Build/Comfort/Isolation
03:00 Source Pairing
04:10 Accessories/Sonic Impressions
04:52 Bass
06:19 Mids
07:20 Treble
07:50 Technical Abilities
10:15 Wrapping Up HE-R9
11:15 Sundara Closed Specs
11:45 Build/Comfort/Isolation
13:00 Source Pairings
14:08 Sonic Impressions
14:35 Bass
15:30 Mids
16:52 Treble
17:57 Technical Abilities
19:28 Wrapping Up Sundara Closed
20:30 Conclusion
21:36 Exiting
Reviews:
Hifiman Deva: • Hifiman Deva - Review ... Hifiman Deva Pro: • Hifiman Deva Pro Steal...
I am not a professional sound engineer, producer, musician, or vocalist, etc. I have not done any scientific research, measurements, or in-depth testing of any kind; just my own listening, comparing and internet reading/research. I have limited, real-life experience with recording, mixing and mastering gear. I have been involved since my teenage years with various churches as an amateur sound booth technician.
Please take these thoughts, opinions and reasonings as just that, my honest audiophile thoughts, opinions and reasonings.
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Twitter: / talkdbs @TalkDbs
Website: www.thehonestaudiophile.com
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The Honest Audiophile research/review process: • Let's Talk - My resear... Tierlist:docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Audio Terms/Definitions: www.thehonestaudiophile.com/p...
Test Tracks: www.thehonestaudiophile.com/p...
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Recommended Gear:
Audeze LCD-5: www.audeze.com/products/lcd-5
Rosson Audio Design RAD-0: www.rossonaudiodesign.com/
Meze Empyrean: mezeaudio.com/products/meze-e...
Hifiman Ananda: hifiman.com/products/detail/290
Sennheiser HD600: en-us.sennheiser.com/best-aud...
Sennheiser HD660s: en-us.sennheiser.com/hd-660-s
Austrian Audio Hi-X60: austrian.audio/headphones/hi-...
Audeze LCD 2 Closed: LCD-2 Closed Back (audeze.com)
ADV. M5-12D: www.adv-sound.com/collections...
CTM Da Vinci X: cleartunemonitors.com/product...
Tin Hifi T2: www.linsoul.com/products/tinh...
Sony NW-A105: electronics.sony.com/audio/wa...
Sony NW-WM-1a: electronics.sony.com/audio/wa...
Mytek Liberty DAC ii: mytek.audio/shop/lbrt-dac-ii-...
HeadAmp GSX-Mini: www.headamp.com/products/gs-x...
Tor Audio Roger: toraudio.com/main.html#
Schiit Audio BiFrost 2: schiit.com/products/bi-frost-1
Massdrop THX AAA 789:
drop.com/buy/drop-thx-aaa-789...
Massdrop THX AAA One Linear: drop.com/buy/drop-thx-aaa-one...
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Affiliate links:
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Видеоклипы
After trying the sundara closed i thought the best thing about them is well they made sound....
Pinned!!!
Honest and direct. You don't give 💩💩if a manufacturer gets mad about a negative review. Thank you for being who you are.
1000% agree with this video.
I don't understand how either of these get praised by the community. Both are trash and should be discontinued by Hifiman.
Keep up the good work.
EQ? I got both of these headphones and once you EQ them they sound really good! Your nickname actually says it all, you are just being a snob :)
@@4epa1012 I tried EQ and it didn't help enough to make the purchase worthwhile.
Enjoy you 💩 purchases. Hopefully one day you'll realize that spending a few extra dollars will get you a better closed back from Audeze or Dan Clark.
@4epa1012 EQ didn't help much IMHO, helped the Sundara Closed more than the R9. Glad you enjoy them. Thanks for the thoughts.
They are more popular with those who like to mod their headphones. I know JM Audio actually mods the HE-R9 quite a bit. Supposed to sound good. Custom Cans has done a lot of work on the Sundara Closed with damping kits and a 3D printed ring adapter for different pads.
As always thank you for the honest review,and I still enjoy my Sennheiser HD 660s.
Awesome, glad you enjoy the 660s 💯
They dropped the prices of these to less than a third and still they're not very competitive. I got an R10D to see if EQ could make them worth the $300 they cost now and I'm not really sure so far😅
Thank you 😊
My pleasure, you're welcome.
Aerodynamic. Made me chuckle.😀
I tried the Dekoni Hifiman Cobalt at CanJam NYC. It has a dynamic driver that Dekoni helped tune to work well with the nice Dekoni pads that come with them. Love your videos!
Interesting. I've not heard the Cobalt.
I think these are meant for bicycle delivery riders A lot of the budget went into making htem aerodynamic,, so that the rider doesn't lose speed wearing them. Plus the lack of sound isolation is so that the delivery rider can hear all the people and vehicles around. Plus if the rider crashes and ruins the cans, they can be replaced at current price of $109. Think of them as disposable delivery rider cans.
With the R9 Hifiman is proving that it is willing to develop headphones for niche markets, like delivery riders.
Yeah I also found the HE-R9 attrocious sounding in my opinion. However, I was able to save it by opening it up, applying lots of sound dampening to the cups, getting some suede pads for it, and finally applyjng an extreme amount of EQ to it. The soundstage was still a bit weird, but it was much better afterwards, dare I say, good.
I think it sounds great now, but it definitely is not the same headphone anymore. The cups were just extremely hollow on the inside, i did not know what Hifiman was thinking.
Interesting. Modding is an option for those who like that sort of thing. I'm not gifted in that way. Thanks for the comment. Glad you found a way to enjoy the R9.
I just got them; £149 here. The bargain of the year as far as I’m concerned. The Sundara Closed is a very decent sounding headphone. I’m extremely pleased with them and glad I managed to get them at such a great price. They are not Sundara open and IMO Hifiman should have made them as a separate model with no reference to the open at all. They are a different tuning and they are closed so entirely contrasting with the open version. I have both and will use the closed when I would otherwise irritate other people by listening to open headphones. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a decent sounding closed back headphone. At £$€149 you really can’t go wrong. Get ‘em while you can I say!
Glad you enjoy the Sundara Closed.
Rode NTH-100 is better option for same price IMHO.
It's astounding how your assessment of the HE-R9 matches my experience. They are just wonky as heck. But I got them for roughly 109 USD, so maybe they're kinda close to how they sound price-wise. I still enjoy them for what they are, but I do understand why a lot of audiophiles steer away from them. Great review.
Would you say they match their original price though?
Wonky indeed.
Glad you enjoyed the video.
@TheHonestAudiophile at their original price? Heck no. I only bought them since I enjoy different sound signatures, and that wonkiness is included in those differences I like to hear. Again, thanks for the review, it's an entertaining and informative watch.
Awesomeness. I had no doubts you'd respond that way.
@TheHonestAudiophile Absolutely not, that's why I was patient and paid only $69 for an open box direct from Hifiman. Cheap enough to modify wo/worries about destroying! What headphone amps are you using for testing?
@rianredfield5252 my reference DAC and amp are Mytek Liberty DAC ii and the Mytek THX HPA
I heavily enjoy my Sundara Closed! Love them for music listening and gaming as I need closed backs for my noisy environment :)
Glad you enjoy the Sundara Closed
I love you Dave
Thanks for the suggestion. Glad you enjoy the channel content.
Aerodynamic!
R10D: bass floods the mids
Sundara Closed: too much clamping on the ears, too much clamping on the mids and highs
I don’t think the R9 is for anyone! I think their cheap planar has got to be much better. A better alternative, similar but with better stage and scalability, is the Fidelio X2.
Thanks for the thoughts.
THA is the GOAT! Thank you for being honest!
Thanks 🙏
I own a Sennheiser 600 series and I'm interested in other headphones with more bass right now, the Sendara Close Back are 150 dollars for that price, are they worth it?
If you want more bass than 600 in closed back, get a Sennheiser HD280 Pro. I also recommend the Rode NTH-100. Sundara Closed is flawed as mentioned in the video.
Oh dear me! Ha! I've become a bit of a fan of Austrian Audio! Nothing beats my HD 6....s though
Excellent choices, can't go wrong with either.
The Sundara Closed sound really good on the cheap Bluebird M1 on the balanced output. But then again, I am not used to $300 and above headphones or $300 or above dacs. They are also pretty good sounding with my FiiO BTR15 on balanced output. Then again, I am probably not as picky as the Honest Audiophile.
Glad you enjoy them. Thanks for the impressions.
The Yongse YS-B1 is a great little portable device. ES9038Q2M & ES9603Q DAC/AMP CHIPSET. Works fantastic with the Sundara closed back on 4.4mm and ldac bt streaming with my Samsung S8. Maybe details might be missing but for the price these days, I can't complain. You've got me going now trying out my various devices.
Keep up the good work on my favorite review channel.
Yongse YS B1 haven't heard it, thanks for the suggestion. Glad you enjoy the channel content.
I wanted these headphones for under 100£, I've got fiio e10k and akg702 and super happy with them cause I got them cheaper than what they usually go for. I'm looking at a closed back now and I thought HER9 look and sound great for under 100£, isn't that the case? Alternatives to look at? Perhaps some planar magnetic as I haven't heard that style before. Much appreciated!
What's the budget for over ear headphones? Closed back planar headphone are somewhat rare and tend to be expensive.
Isn't the Sundara closed back unbeatable at the 150$ price range ? Your review places these headphones at their starting price according to your recommandation for the Hi-X60
Rode NTH-100, Sennheiser HD280 Pro are both better than the Sundara Closed in my opinion for the $150 price range. Hi-X60 was compared based on starting price and also what I recommend if you are seeking an analytical, neutral presentation.
HD280, really ? These are really cheap headphones @@TheHonestAudiophile
Performance matters the most in my humble opinion.
Thanx for the review! Yeah, HFM still can't make good closed headphones. Sad but true))
Nice shirt color
Thanks
The Austrian Audio Hi-X60 cost $400.
Can you recommend something better than the sundara closed backs around their current $150 sale price?
Thanks
Rode NTH-100
Thanks
My pleasure, you're welcome
@@TheHonestAudiophile I have the rodes NTH 100 I like them but I am thinking to upgrade to the sandura OPEN BACK. what should i do?
@@TheHonestAudiophile I also have a Holton Audio X AMP which is a 2.5w amp per channel it drives 4 headphone at the same time, really good.
👍
That's where Lady Dimitrescu's lipstick got to...
I've considered picking up the Sundara closed back for a while, especially at its current price. Doesn't seem like I'm missing much. Thanks for keeping it real Dave!
Glad you found the video helpful.
I just bought the HE-R9's 💀💀💀 Ill update.
Look forward to hearing your impressions.
@@TheHonestAudiophile I just got them, and they seem too sharp if anything the bass is there and more full bodyed, but not muddy. it seems like theres just one trebbl peak that gives an illution of clarity...I don't know. It sounds good, its VERY comfortable,
and Isolation is okay for kids playing outside, or a video playing in the background.
It looks SO BEAUTIFULL in person, nmy sisters love it too. I like how you can run it with different cable types.
Thanks for the impressions
Sounds like for both of these HiFiMan headphones, it's Nuh-uh-Man.
Mhmm that about sums it up.
I'm not sure where you're getting the pricing for the HE-R9's at $300, they've been sat at $109 (USD) without the BluMini basically everywhere for the past six months or so. I picked mine up discounted slightly down from that for $90 - honestly as soon as I put them on I was tempted to put them straight back in the box and return them, but fiddled around with them a bit and absolutely love them now. While I get that it's maybe not great to review something positively if it's objectively pretty awful out of the box, they absolutely shine with the appropriate EQ, and I encourage you to try them with it! For me, I can't stand using it for anything rock or mids-centric, but Jazz and Blues (particularly desert blues) sound incredible, and keep my 650's around for everything else.
There's a difference in price between the wired only and the wired plus BlueMini on the Hifiman store website that is linked in the description.
Glad you enjoy the HE-R9, thanks for the impressions.
In my own opinion Hifiman makes great openned planar headphones, but closed headphones just have to put more effort into it LOL
Totally agree 💯
Have you made the burn for a few days??...they sound much better after the burn...The sound of this headphones is better without the bluetooth and better with balanced cables, you should have listen with all this forms...I have them (HE-R9), it cost me 130€, and i like them very much, it isnt´t a headphone to listen with a bad mobilephone, but a headphone to listen with high res device, with god music records...maybe if you had done the listen with a god device and a god cable you would have another opinion! And of course it all depends also of the gear you have, if its low or midium or high quality.
I explain my review process for every product in detail in the write up:
www.thehonestaudiophile.com/post/honest-audiophile-review-process
My source gear is the Mytek Liberty DAC ii and the Mytek THX HPA. I test all gear on them plus lots of other gear.
I'm glad you enjoy them. Thanks for the comment.
The "honest" audiophile is suggesting that $400 headphones sound better than the $150 one, ha!
No kidding?!
What's next, he'll tell grandmas that a 100k BMW is better than a 30k Prius?
Thanks for watching, commenting and subscribing